<![CDATA[Purpose – This study examines how sustainability, particularly in relation to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), is conceptualized and institutionalized within Islamic educational institutions.Method – Using a systematic literature review guided by the PRISMA framework, this study analyzes 36 scholarly studies selected through a structured screening process. Four additional foundational sources were used only for theoretical and contextual interpretation and were not counted in the PRISMA synthesis.Findings – The findings reveal that sustainability is not achieved through isolated initiatives but emerges from the integration of three key dimensions: educational leadership, Islamic ethical values, and institutional practices. Educational leadership encompassing transformational, distributed, instructional, and relational approaches functions as the primary driver of institutional change. Islamic ethical values, particularly amanah, shura, and khilafah, provide the normative foundation that guides and legitimizes sustainability-oriented actions. These dimensions are operationalized through institutional mechanisms, including curriculum integration, sustainable campus practices, community engagement, and capacity building. The study further proposes a conceptual framework that explains the dynamic interaction between leadership, values, and institutional practices in producing sustainability outcomes aligned with SDGs, such as educational quality, environmental responsibility, and social inclusion. Implication – The findings also highlight the importance of contextual enablers, including governance, resources, stakeholder engagement, and technological readiness, in shaping the effectiveness of sustainability implementation. The novelty of this study lies in integrating leadership models, Islamic ethical values, institutional mechanisms, and contextual enablers within a single mechanism-based framework, rather than treating these dimensions as separate strands of analysis. However, the evidence base remains limited by contextual concentration and methodological constraints. Future research is recommended to empirically test the proposed framework across diverse settings using longitudinal and mixed-method approaches]]>
